CaltechAUTHORS
Published October 2025 | Version Published
Journal Article Metadata-only

Mars Sample Return Sample Receiving Project Measurement Definition Team Final Report

Creators

  • 1. ROR icon Jet Propulsion Lab
  • 2. ROR icon European Space Research and Technology Centre
  • 3. ROR icon Goddard Space Flight Center
  • 4. ROR icon University of Alberta
  • 5. ROR icon University of Leicester
  • 6. ROR icon Université Libre de Bruxelles
  • 7. HX5, LLC Brook Park, Ohio, USA.
  • 8. ROR icon United States Geological Survey
  • 9. ROR icon Canadian Space Agency
  • 10. Geosciences, University of Nevada—Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
  • 11. ROR icon University of Oslo
  • 12. Telespazio Belgium S.R.L. for the European Space Agency.
  • 13. ROR icon Johnson Space Center
  • 14. ROR icon The Open University
  • 15. ROR icon French National Centre for Scientific Research
  • 16. IAPS-INAF, Rome, Italy.
  • 17. ROR icon Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
  • 18. ROR icon ETH Zurich
  • 19. ROR icon Boston University
  • 20. ROR icon Aix-Marseille University
  • 21. ROR icon University of Central Florida
  • 22. ROR icon University of Göttingen
  • 23. ROR icon United States Food and Drug Administration
  • 24. ROR icon Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
  • 25. ROR icon California Institute of Technology
  • 26. ROR icon RISE Research Institutes of Sweden
  • 27. ROR icon Carnegie Institution for Science

Abstract

The joint ESA-NASA Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign is slated to be one of the most ambitious undertakings in the history of planetary exploration in that analyses in terrestrial laboratories of pristine, scientifically selected samples from the surface of Mars would provide unprecedented insight into the history, evolution, and potential for Mars to harbor life. The MSR Sample Receiving Project (SRP) Measurement Definition Team (MDT) was jointly chartered by NASA and ESA to propose a set of measurements that should be carried out on samples returned from Mars to meet the needs of science, safety, and curation to aid in facility and other project planning. The executive summary of the MDT report is presented here, while the full text of the report is available in the online supplement for this article.

Copyright and License

© 2025, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

Acknowledgement

All information in this report is Pre-Decisional Information–For Planning and Discussion Purposes Only. A portion of this research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004). The cost information contained in this document is of a budgetary and planning nature and is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute a commitment on the part of JPL and/or Caltech. We would like to thank our reviewers, specifically the members of our Independent Assessment Team: Jason Dworkin, Bethany Ehlmann, Victoria Hamilton, Michael Plötze, Caroline Smith, & Kimberly Tait. We also thank Aaron Jubb and Jane Hearon (USGS) for their reviews. H.V. Graham was supported by funding from the NASA Science Mission Directorate. C.D.K. Herd was supported by Canadian Space Agency Mars 2020 Participating Scientist Grant CSA CGCPU 20EXPMARS. V. Debaille was supported by F.R.S.-FNRS. J. Duprat was supported by CNES and PEPR Origins. M. Ferrari was supported by the Italian Space Agency (Accordo ASI/INAF n. 2023-3-HH.0). K.L. French was supported by the USGS Energy Resources Program. Krzesinska was supported by ESA grant number 4000145898/24/NL/PA/dp. J.J. Marlow was supported by NASA grant #80NSSC23K0224. C. Maurel was supported by CNES postdoctoral funding. C. Schröder was supported by UK Space Agency grant number ST/Y000072/1 and ESA SKP LD-MS Contract No.: 4000146050/24/NL/PA/dp. S. P. Schwenzer was supported by UK Space Agency grant numbers ST/Y005767/1, ST/X001989/1 and UKSA grant UKRI2377. A. M.

Additional details

Identifiers

PMID
41060067

Funding

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
80NM0018D0004
Canadian Space Agency
CSA CGCPU 20EXPMARS
Fund for Scientific Research
Centre National d'Études Spatiales
Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
2023-3-HH.0
United States Geological Survey
Energy Resources Program -
European Space Agency
4000145898/24/NL/PA/dp
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
80NSSC23K0224
United Kingdom Space Agency
ST/Y000072/1
European Space Agency
4000146050/24/NL/PA/dp
United Kingdom Space Agency
ST/Y005767/1
United Kingdom Space Agency
ST/X001989/1
United Kingdom Space Agency
UKRI2377

Dates

Accepted
2025-09-09
Available
2025-10-16
Published online

Caltech Custom Metadata

Caltech groups
Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences (GPS)
Publication Status
Published